Heart Diseases Info

Heart Disease Information Resource

A Guide to Child Heart Disease


Heart disease is an incredibly important and serious issue, and it is very surprising just how many people do not realize that children can also suffer from heart disease. Child heart disease is actually quite a common ailment across the world, and congenital heart disease is actually one of the most common birth defects of all, affecting nearly one percent of all babies born.

Many of these infants are first diagnosed with child heart disease when their pediatrician hears a heart murmur on a routine examination.

Information on Child Heart Disease

For the most part how child heart disease works is that their heart can have a small abnormality that may or may not be noticeable at birth, and generally if there is a hole in the heart wall that lets blood travel from one side to the other then the baby will have blue lips or fingers.

There are also other problems which may be involved here, such as an abnormal heart valve, and this may result in allowing blood to flow the wrong way, and this is a problem which will usually require surgery once the child is older. While most are, some heart problems in children are not congenital, and so it is something that can never really be expected.

What a Heart Murmur is

A heart murmur is a noise that the blood makes as it flows through the heart, and it is sort of like the noise that water makes when it flows through a hose. Heart murmurs are common in children, some which are harmless, and others which are not.

Because a heart murmur is one of the most common signs of child heart disease, most parents get frantic at the term. However a lot of the time heart murmurs actually do not mean that there is anything wrong with your child, and these heart murmurs are known as being innocent or functional.

For the times that a heart murmur does actually indicate a problem with your childs heart, this is when there is a hole in the heart, a leak in the heart valve, or a narrow heart valve. If your doctor suspects that there is a problem, then the first thing they will do is refer you to a pediatric cardiologist, which is a doctor who specializes in child heart disease. The cardiologist will do an examination and do tests in order to find out whether there is actually a problem or not.

In fact, if a woman is given to snoring regularly, she may be about thirty-three percent more likely to suffer heart attacks or even strokes. When it is discovered that a newborn infant has congenital heart disease, to say that it will cause parents great concern would be a tremendous understatement. Congestive heart failure that results from disease and defects can be treated and although some people may require lots of rest and even a heart transplant, others can have reasonably normal lives with a relatively small amount of medical supervision. Some people end up with arteries that are so clogged that they require bypass surgery. As well to avoid cholesterol and heart disease problems, you need to rid any unhealthy habits from your life, such as smoking or excessive drinking, for instance. Although there is no surefire way to protect yourself against heart disease and stroke, there are certain things that you can do to try to prevent it, which will be discussed here.